ORS Report Reveals Causes of Rolling Blackouts Last Winter for Duke Energy Customers

A report from the Office of Regulatory Staff (ORS) reveals the causes of rolling power outages for Duke Energy customers during a winter storm on Christmas Eve.

The report alleges that Duke Energy had an inadequate power supply, experienced multiple equipment failures, delayed notifying customers, and experienced a software failure. Approximately 500,000 customers across South and North Carolina were affected by the outages.

The report identified five key causes for the outages: Duke Energy underestimated demand, power purchases were curtailed, contracted power generation failed, and a software tool failed.

The investigation also found that multiple plants were unavailable due to maintenance or operational issues. In one case, a plant was damaged because a door was left open. Other issues included cracks in insulation and frozen instrumentation.